Happy 125th Birthday Lyle’s Golden Syrup
In a stroke of luck in 1883, it was canny Scottish businessman Abraham Lyle who discovered this treacly syrup by-product could be refined to make a delicious sweet spread.
03/01/08 In celebration of Lyle’s Golden Syrup’s 125th Anniversary, the iconic Victorian-style tin is getting a birthday makeover… from January, it’s turning GOLD; and it’ll be the first time the tin has had a totally new look since 1885! In 2006 Lyle’s Golden Syrup was recognised by the Guinness World Records as having the world’s oldest branding (packaging). So, why fix it if it ain’t broke? Well, after 125 years of keeping it’s goldenness on the inside, now seems like a great time to go gold all round and celebrate 125 years in style!
When it comes to foods that like to take their time, Lyle’s Golden Syrup surely takes the biscuit; or should that be the flapjack? Deliciously thick and silky smooth, people have been coaxing it from its iconic tin to add its Midas touch to porridge and pancakes, puds and cookies, since Victorian times. Now (2008), this gooey golden elixir, which flows so slow and majestic from its green and gold casing, celebrates its 125th birthday; proving it’s as much loved today as it ever was.
In a stroke of luck in 1883, it was canny Scottish businessman Abraham Lyle who discovered this treacly syrup by-product could be refined to make a delicious sweet spread. The rest, as they say, is history!
Despite being one of the most familiar sights in kitchen cupboards across Britain, usage isn’t strictly restricted to baking and drizzling…
· Gymnasts sometimes use it instead of talc for better grip!
· Make-up artists have been known to use it mixed with red food dye to create fake blood for films
· It’s used by a volcano lab in the Alps to simulate the movement of lava
Established the same year as the first electric railway (1883), Lyle’s Golden Syrup is older than the first petrol motorcar (built 1885) and wireless radio (1895); it precedes Coca Cola (est. 1886), Marmite (est. 1902), and Cadbury’s Dairy Milk (est. 1905); and even predates Einstein’s best-known equation of E = mc2!
Lyle’s Golden Syrup: truly a British icon that has stood the test of time in a changing world of food and drink fads. Happy Birthday!!
